We take the Grateful Dead for granted sometimes...1981 is not the greatest year ever or even of the 80s but what we would give to get back a band that still has some youth, vigor, energy and took their act on the road and slugged it out for 80 gigs a year, mostly giving you your money's worth...1981 gives us a band on the move, hitting Europe for the first time in 7 years...and finishing with a monster 4 set New Years Eve hootnanny...sprinkled through the year is some excellent music...The bands '81 sound is a bit more compressed than '80 and '82 would see a change to a rounder more "acoustic" sound (with Mydland playing alot of synth piano)...

05-06-1981 Nassau-- perhaps the most "known" show outside of Oops and New years of 81. Features the "This one's for Bobby Sands" He's Gone>Jam>Caution...but don't miss the rest of the show, nice first set...Dick's Picks Release

12-31-1981--Oakland Coliseum--not the best new Years gig, not even in the top 3, but it's the longest and they basically play it all, minus St. Stephen...definitely check it out to say you did...

05-16-1981 Cornell-- Crisp recording of this show exists...great energy...Shakedown

12-30-1981--Oakland--One and a half set show...First "Set" features top shelf versions of Rooster and Cumberland...Dire Wolf and They Love Each Other are excellent and a red hot jam turn up in Supplication...

10-19-1981--Spain--Garcia is all over Let It Grow and Scarlet>Fire sears...Jerry is blazing his solos throughout this show...not super long jams, but to the point...

03-09-1981--...great first set...Bird Song...one of the best Altheas...China Rider...

05-01-1981--one of the best audience copies out there, the 80s equivalent to 08-06-71...great first set...very enjoyable show...not fireworks but definitely worth listening to as it gives you a great live sound...

08-28-1981--Long Beach--despite a flub, a top 5 version of Shakedown...Spanish jam

10-03-1981--check out the second set...Feel Like a Stranger...Bird Song...

They have expanded the venue recently; in those days it was a *tiny* little amphitheater, a 1930's WPA job, and I came to understand later that this particular show had the benefit of being in a place where the authorities had no real clue about any controversy, so the scene was far more casual than I experienced in later years. The only show I ever saw that even compared, was "The Dead" in 2004 at St. Helens. No cops to be seen, barely even a security fence.

I know I am in the minority here, but I have always loved '81 and feel it gets the short shrift here. Jerry's playing was very crisp, Brent had come into his own and the band was gelling very nicely. The only complain t I had was that the repertoire was not yet very expansive, but IMO 81-83 was the best of the post Keith/Donna era. I find that I listen to shows from that era more than any other.

Check out the Uptown run in February, the 9/11,12,13 Greeks, the whole Midwest/Rockies Summer tour, especially 7-4, 7-5, 7-13, 7-14, 12-9, The Amsterdam shows, the may east coast run and the New Years run, especially New Years Eve. i have to disagree with strat. To me it is one of the best shows of the Brent/Vince era and stands up to any NYE show there is.

i wanted to really love 12-31-1981, but even after repeated listens i feel the performance doesn't quite match the potential of the setlist...to me, the 82 NYE show is alot better with Etta James and 12-31-1987 and 12-31-1989 might be better played as far as 80s are concerned...this is not to say that NYE 81 is a dog performance by any means...there definitely is enough going on to make most people happy...

Maybe I have a different perspective having been at every NYE from 80-87 and I know that sometimes experiences shade one's perspective of shows, but I have to respectively disagree, to me the 81 show is superior to all those shows, the playing is crisper and the band is tighter and the song list is superior.

The 10/16/81 Amsterdam show is one of a short-list of shows I keep for turning on (or trying to) new heads. Both nights in Amsterdam are a tasty double-bill. And you're right, the 10/19 Barcelona show sears & sizzles. Jerry just lays it down.

Thank you for the well-detailed list, and i will definitely be checking out your recommendations. I will just add that 3/9/81 is one of my favorite audience tapes. I've got the soundboard as well, but the audience just really does it. Great, great show.